Laser printers are particularly well suited for fast, clear printing and provide flexibility in the type and range of images that can be printed. A laser printer generates an image by fusing toner particles to the surface of a sheet material fed into the laser printer. Good and proper fusing requires the sheet material to be receptive to the toner particles. Paper works very well with laser printers, providing a surface which is receptive to and capable of retaining the toner image. The ability of paper to receive and retain toner images from a laser printer is one of the reasons that paper adhesive labels are now commonly printed using laser printers. Another reason is that paper is a cost effective material for making labels. The vast majority of labels are made of a paper/adhesive combination, mounted on a backing sheet and are commonly referred to as pressure sensitive adhesive labels.
To print a pressure sensitive adhesive label with a laser printer, the adhesive label/backing sheet set is fed through a laser printer and a desired image is printed upon the label. After removing the printed label/backing sheet set from the laser printer, the label is applied by first peeling it from the backing sheet and then applying it to a desired location.
Pressure-sensitive labels are well known and commonly used in many applications where it is necessary or desirable to display information. In situations where a label may be exposed to rough handling or the rigors of outdoor climatic/environmental conditions, traditional paper labels are often inadequate. These types of demanding conditions are common in the chemical industry where chemicals are stored and transported in large bulk containers. These bulk containers are often stored outdoors or exposed to outdoor conditions in areas where weathering and abrasions from handling and storage can damage a label that is adhered to the containers.
Many durable materials that do not deteriorate under these conditions are poorly suited for receiving and retaining images from laser printers. Materials such as polymer films are sufficiently durable to endure the weathering and abrasion, but are generally, not well suited for accepting the toner images produced by laser printers. Films which are suitable for laser printing are typically expensive and thus prohibitive for use in applications where cost is a factor in label selection. In many high volume applications, such as the distribution of chemicals, even relatively small differences in price per label can translate into significant amounts of money when multiplied by the large numbers of labels used. Therefore, labels consisting essentially of these films are generally, not desirable where durable and inexpensive labels are required.
It is also common in some industries to sell identical products under various names to different customers or to different industries. The reason for selling identical products under different names may relate to marketing purposes of the manufacturer or supplying products to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) market where the purchaser applies its own brand name or trademark to the product.
In the chemical field, when an identical chemical is sold under several different names or trademarks, the hazard warnings and properties of the chemicals sold under the different names or trademarks remains the same. In these situations, each package for the chemical, regardless of the difference in name or trademark under which it is being sold, still requires the same hazard warning and listing of the chemical properties. Particularly when dealing with bulk chemicals which are packaged in large containers or drums, the realities of inventory control may result in insufficient quantities of product labeled with each different name or trademark. In these situations, since the underlying chemicals are identical to the chemicals packaged in containers with merely a different name or trademark, it is common to re-label the containers to display the desired name.
The labels applied to the packaging for bulk chemical products are usually a single label containing the name of the product, the hazard warning and/or the chemical properties of the chemical. Relabeling of the packaging for bulk chemical products requires removal of the entire label and replacing it with a new label or applying a new label over top of the old label (over-labeling). Removal of the entire label is time consuming and, therefore, more expensive, because of the strong adhesives normally used. Because warning labels are usually used with chemical products, it is important to use a strong adhesive to ensure that the warning label and product safety information stay on the container. Removing an existing label to replace it with a new label also raises the possibility that the new label may be inadvertently left off, creating a potentially hazardous condition.
Over labeling is also not desirable because it is possible that the user will peel off the new label, revealing the name or trademark shown on the original label and possibly the name of the chemical product as it is sold to other customers or industries. Over-labeling may also result in a poor appearance if the new label is not a perfect match, properly positioned over the old label.
Since not every situation will require a second label with a different product name, it is efficient and effective to print the original label as a single label containing the intended name of the product and the hazard warning/chemical property information. Printing a single label helps insure that each product package or container receives both the hazard warning/chemical property information and the name of the product. It is very important that the hazard warning/chemical property information is permanently adhered to the containers from the beginning, in case of an emergency. Having the name and warning information printed on a single label will also help avoid confusion and mislabeling.